Rivelin Valley Conservation Group
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The proposed Roscoe Flood Storage Embankment – intended to help reduce flood risk downstream – is still on the agenda. However ….
• Sheffield City Council aims to provide flood protection to a 1 in 200 year standard, but has stated that if such protection can be delivered without the Roscoe scheme, then it will do so.
• SCC is exploring the potential of ‘natural flood management’, use of Yorkshire Water reservoirs in flood protection, and other alternatives.
A briefing note* for a Council meeting on 30th November 2017 stated:
“The preferred ‘slowing the flow’ approach is to revise how Yorkshire Water’s existing compensation reservoirs are operated to store floodwater upstream of the city, however this approach may prove undeliverable. The City Council and the Environment Agency recognise that the Roscoe FSA option would be a challenging scheme to design in a manner that satisfies the concerns of affected parties, however this FSA is the most cost effective ‘slowing the flow’ alternative to the preferred approach.”
* http://democracy.sheffield.
This means that the Roscoe Embankment is still under consideration, but its progress as an option depends on whether alternatives can be found and sufficient funding secured. Meanwhile, the Council is in no doubt about the strength of feeling of local people about the Roscoe scheme.
For the rest of the Upper Don catchment:
• SCC is currently bidding for funding from Sheffield City Region.
• The bid focuses on flood protection in a limited area around the confluence of the Loxley and the Don (Holme Lane and Penistone Road).
• Funding for a flood storage area at Wharncliffe Side is also being sought.
• SCC updates will be posted in due course at: www.floodprotectionsheffield.
RVCG, Feb 2018 http://www.rivelinvalley.org.
Sheffield City Council has published an Interim Report giving the outcomes of the public consultation held between August and October 2016 on the proposed flood alleviation options on the Upper Don (including Rivelin and Loxley) and Sheaf catchments.
http://www.floodprotectionshef
field.com/news/schemes-to-protect-city-from-flooding-take-a-step-forward
Full consultation responses report can be found on the Council website: http://www.floodprotectionsheffield.com/pages/consultation
Many of the options originally proposed have been dropped – these include the Swallow/Wolf flood storage area in Rivelin, but the Roscoe/New Dam flood storage area (FSA) is still under consideration, despite the relatively high level of opposition (49% disagreed with taking the option forward and 32% agreed, 19% had no opinion). The reasons given for the inclusion of the Roscoe/New Dam FSA are: “Would provide substantial storage and reduction in flood levels downstream of the FSA. This option is currently identified as the most beneficial of the Rivelin FSAs for reducing downstream flood levels to protect properties and businesses along the Loxley, the Upper Don and through the city. This is a sensitive option. Wherever practical, the concerns presented by consultees will be carefully addressed during further design and assessment work. Mitigation of environmental, heritage and amenity impacts will all need further consideration, working with local stakeholders. Through careful design there may be opportunities to enhance access, amenity, habitats and biodiversity and for improved flood protection and resilience to the park.”
According to the report “the concerns raised about the remaining sites are being carefully considered by the project team. Identifying whether and how these concerns can be adequately addressed will be part of the assessment of their feasibility. The need for the FSAs is therefore being balanced with the design of the local flood defences in order to develop an optimum combination. Further investigation work has now commenced and will include engineering scoping work, hydraulic modelling, site investigation where required, and environmental and heritage assessments. This work will proceed alongside continued engagement with statutory consultees, landowners and other key stakeholders. Later this year, a Preferred Option will be selected for each catchment and this will be detailed in the Outline Business Case submitted to the Government later in 2017.”
We understand that a more detailed report on the consultation outcomes will be issued in a few months, but that a document that brings together all responses to the consultation questionnaire could be made available within a few days.
More details and the interim report can be found at:
The RVCG is concerned about the proposed removal of 26 trees in the Rivelin Valley adjacent to the park and opposite the fire station. Following a recent meeting with Amey, the reason given was restoration of a neat curb line and improvement of the pavements. We feel that removal of so many 100 year old trees to achieve a straight curb line is unacceptable and will have a huge detrimental effect on the visual aspect of this unique lime tree avenue. We discussed alternatives to retain the trees and still achieve a straight curb line and the removal of the trees has now been deferred to an Independent Tree Panel and we await the decision. Further information can be obtained from the following sites:
http://www.wildsheffield.com/what-we-do/south-yorkshire-biodiversity/planning-and-policy/sheffield-street-trees
http://www.savesheffieldtrees.org.uk/
First Open Meeting – Longshaw historian, Thelma Griffiths, will give a talk ‘A Potted History of Longshaw‘ about the Estate’s history, from a summer shooting lodge of The Duke of Rutland, to becoming the People’s Estate of the 20th Century, bought by the people of Sheffield and beyond.
If you would like to participate and not currently a member then please give Keith Kendall a call on 01142307144
Second Open Meeting – Judy Williams talk about ‘Bess of Hardwick’. Judy will tell the story of Elizabeth Cavendish, later Elizabeth Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury, known as Bess of Hardwick, of Hardwick Hall in Derbyshire.
If you would like to participate and not currently a member then please give Keith Kendall a call on 01142307144
Third Open Meeting – Ian Rotherham, Professor of Environmental Geography and reader of Tourism and Environmental Change at Hallam University will give a talk on ‘Shadow Woods‘
If you would like to participate and not currently a member then please give Keith Kendall a call on 01142307144
Fourth Open Meeting – Ted Hancock will talk about ‘The Construction of the Totley Tunnel‘
If you would like to participate and not currently a member then please give Keith Kendall a call on 01142307144
We have now installed marker posts at all 20 of the mills and dams along the Rivelin. This has been made possible by the many kind donations and sponsorship of the posts.
Each post marks the site of a particular mill and comes with a QR code and an NFC tag which can be used from a smart phone to access videos, images and further information about the history of the site, and the nature in that area. Click here to see the new interpretation.
This completely revised and updated edition features a trail guide with maps, historical details about each watermill site and where to look for the wildlife. It is richly-illustrated in colour with old photographs and maps. Click for more details ...
"Walking the Rivelin" is also now available from:
